The deeper they went, the more intense the heat from the magma became, tightening the skin and making the sulfur-laden air burn with every labored breath.
Liam leaned against a cooled, obsidian-black lava rock. The crimson-gold armor of 'Boiling One' gleamed with a dull red light, and the volcanic ore embedded in its chest still emitted a silvery glow, though noticeably dimmer than before. He pressed a hand against the chest plate, feeling the unsettling sensation beneath his skin – the familiar burning of the curse was reawakening, more fiercely than ever.
"What's wrong?" Elara noticed his state immediately, moving quickly to his side, her silver eyes filled with concern. She saw the fine sweat beading on Liam's forehead, his pale complexion, the slight tremor in his fingers where they gripped the armor's edge, his breathing rapid and ragged.
Liam opened his mouth to speak, but a wave of searing pain choked his words. The volcanic ore on his chest grew suddenly hot, as if scalded by magma. The rust patterns, previously suppressed, violently broke through their restraints. Dark brown lines spread rapidly up his neck, covering his face in an instant. The faint, sickening sound of his skin splitting reached their ears, and fine metallic rust flakes fell from the cracks, sizzling as they landed on the hot rock.
"The curse... it's flaring again!" Liam gritted out, his muscles tensing, his body convulsing beneath the armor. The rust patterns had reached his limbs; the burning sensation traveled through his veins like countless red-hot needles piercing him from within. Even his bones felt hot and numb, on the verge of corroding and shattering.
'Boiling One' began to malfunction. A fine rust bloomed across its crimson-gold surface. The steam joints, once smooth, now grated and caught. The silver light from the chest ore flickered erratically, clearly unable to suppress this sudden, violent onslaught alone. Liam tried to channel the beast soul energy within the armor to fight back, but the moment the energy stirred, it was consumed by the corrosive force, accelerating the spread of the rust. A trickle of black, metallic-tasting blood escaped his lips, sizzling and evaporating on the rock.
"How can it be this fast?" Elara's face paled. She remembered Liam saying the Seething Beast Blood and volcanic ore could suppress the curse for days. Yet, less than a day since the last extraction, it was back, and far more severe. She reached out to steady him, but her fingers were repelled by a surge of scorching energy from the armor. The rust had spread where she touched, possessing a strange, corrosive property.
Liam curled on the ground, his body shaking uncontrollably, the armor groaning with his movements as if it might shatter. He could feel his life force draining rapidly. The corrosive power surged through his blood toward his heart; each beat was agony. His consciousness blurred, the magma flows turning into a haze of brown rust in his vision. The only sound in his ears was the piercing screech of grinding gears – the characteristic auditory hallucination of the curse's peak, like countless rusted cogs turning and grinding within him.
"Must... find a way..." Liam's voice was a barely audible whisper. He struggled to look at Elara, his eyes filled with stark refusal to yield. "The previous blood... not enough... need stronger... suppression..."
Elara's heart clenched. She recalled a legend from the Silver Wolf Knights' ancient texts: the Rust-Corrosion Curse originated from the power of an ancient Gear Deity. To temporarily suppress it, besides Seething Beast Blood which contained bestial soul energy, it required a blood offering from a creature possessing a pure beast soul. Using the blood as an anchor, it could temporarily lock down the corrosive energy. As the commander of the Silver Wolf Knights, bound to her contracted beast the silver wolf, her blood contained the pure beast soul force of the silver wolf. Perhaps it could serve as this "energy anchor."
But the risk was immense. Her wounds were still healing, her left arm fractured, the injury on her abdomen barely staunched. Forcibly offering blood infused with her beast soul would damage that very soul, potentially causing her cultivation to regress, worsen her injuries, and rob her of her combat strength.
"No time to hesitate!" Looking at Liam's rapidly weakening state – the rust patterns now creeping into the corners of his eyes, his pupils tinged with a faint brownish hue – she knew any delay would mean his complete consumption by the curse, leaving behind only a pile of rusted debris. She gritted her teeth, her silver eyes hard with resolve. She drew her short sword from her waist and, without a moment's further doubt, sliced it across her own wrist.
Silver blood welled from the cut. Unlike normal human blood, Elara's held a faint silvery luminescence, tiny motes of beast soul energy swirling within it, radiating a gentle yet potent aura. She hurried to Liam's side, knelt, and pressed her bleeding wrist to his lips. Her voice was weak but held absolute conviction. "Drink. My blood contains the Silver Wolf's soul force. It can stabilize the curse, for now!"
Through his fading awareness, Liam heard her. He forced his eyes open, seeing the silver blood flowing from her wrist, her pale yet determined face. A powerful refusal surged in him. He knew what this meant. He tried to shake his head, but lacked even the strength for that. He could only watch as her wrist drew nearer, feel the silver droplets fall on his lips, carrying a strange warmth as they slid down his throat.
The moment the first drop of silver blood merged with his system, the burning agony lessened noticeably. The spread of the rust patterns slowed markedly. Seeing this, Elara pressed her wrist harder against his mouth, letting more of her lifeblood flow into him. The silver blood streamed like a warm river, and wherever it passed through his body, the corrosive force recoiled and dissipated as if facing its bane.
But as her blood flowed out, Elara's face grew paler. Her already weakened body began to sway. The wound on her left arm split open anew. Their blood – his dark and tainted, hers silvery and pure – mingled and dripped onto the ground. She clenched her jaw, holding on, her silver eyes fixed on Liam's face, watching the rust patterns recede, his breathing even out. Only then did she allow herself a slight breath of relief, but her body's weakness intensified. Darkness flickered at the edges of her vision; she nearly collapsed.
"Enough... stop!" Liam finally regained enough awareness to grip her wrist firmly, stopping the flow. The burning inside him had greatly subsided. The rust patterns had receded back to his chest. The volcanic ore there shone with a brilliant silver light once more, resonating with the new, foreign silver blood within him, forming a stable energy barrier that firmly locked down the remaining curse.
Elara, her wrist held fast, stilled her actions and slumped weakly to the ground. The wound on her wrist slowly ceased bleeding, aided by the self-repairing nature of her beast soul, but her face remained frighteningly pale, her breath shallow, her strength utterly spent. "You... you're alright?" she asked, her voice hoarse with exhaustion.
Liam struggled into a sitting position, removing 'Boiling One's' helmet. His face still bore faint rust traces, his eyes a complex mix of emotions – gratitude, guilt, and a strange, newfound connection. "Thank you, Elara," he said quietly, his tone heavy. "You shouldn't have... this will make your injuries so much worse."
Elara shook her head, leaning back against the lava rock to rest. A hint of relief showed in her silver eyes. "We are allies, are we not? You saved me. I couldn't just watch you die." She paused, her gaze dropping to the rust patterns on his chest. "My blood is only a temporary fix. Like applying a thin lubricant to a rusted gear. To truly solve this, we need to find the curse's source, or a much stronger source of beast soul energy."
Liam nodded. He could feel the precarious balance inside him clearly: the silver blood, the volcanic ore, and the remnants of the Seething Beast Blood were intertwined, creating a fragile equilibrium that held the curse at bay. But the corrosive power wasn't gone; it was merely contained. If this balance broke, the curse would return, likely with even greater fury.
"This curse is like a rusted gear," Liam murmured, touching the patterns on his chest. The skin there still felt strangely textured, tinged with that ominous brown. "Once it starts turning, it's hard to stop. And your blood... it's the wedge that's jammed it, for now."
Elara coughed softly, a trace of blood appearing at her lip – a clear sign her injuries had worsened from the blood loss. Seeing this, Liam quickly took out the remaining volcanic ore, crushed it, and offered it to her. "Take this. It should help your wounds and restore some energy."
Elara didn't refuse. She took the powdered ore and swallowed it. A cooling sensation spread from her throat through her body, a gentle energy easing her weakness and lessening the pain from her wounds. She closed her eyes, focusing on circulating the dregs of her beast soul energy to mend her damaged body.
Liam sat beside her, vigilantly watching their surroundings. The magma zone remained fiercely hot. The distant mountain fire had mostly died down, leaving only smoke hanging in the air. The roar of Imperial airships was absent for the moment, likely hindered by the recent fires. But he knew this peace was temporary. The Imperial pursuers wouldn't give up, and his curse hung over them like a sword poised to fall.
He looked down at his hands, which still held the faint, lingering warmth of Elara's silver blood. The delicate energy balance within him, while fragile, had granted him a reprieve from death. He turned to look at Elara. With her eyes closed in rest, she seemed remarkably serene, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders, stained with dust and blood, yet unable to conceal her innate, unyielding pride.
In that moment, a complex emotion stirred within Liam. From dying in a car crash to being reborn on Rust Island, suffering the curse, besieged by beasts, saving Elara, and forging their alliance – in just a few days, he had faced life and death and formed an unbreakable bond with this proud, tenacious Silver Wolf Knight. He knew that from now on, their survival in this world of iron and blood, their quest to break the curse and defy the Empire, depended on them supporting each other.
Some time later, Elara slowly opened her eyes. Her color was better, her breathing steadier. She looked at Liam, a hint of apology in her silver eyes. "I'm sorry. For a while, I won't be much help. My beast soul is damaged from the blood offering. My combat strength is reduced to maybe thirty percent."
"You've already done more than enough," Liam shook his head, his sincerity evident. "If not for you, I'd be dead. Now, we find a safe place to rest and recover. We'll make plans once you're better." He recalled from the original host's memories a natural cavern deep within the volcano, well-concealed with an underground spring, perfect for recuperation. "I know a place. It should evade the pursuers. Let's go now."
Elara nodded. She pushed herself to her feet, wincing. Liam reached out to support her arm, and this time, she didn't pull away, allowing him to steady her. Leaning on each other, they moved deeper into the volcanic heart. The red glow of the magma fields cast their long shadows. The crimson-gold of 'Boiling One' gleamed faintly in the dim light like a flickering flame in the darkness. And the silver blood that had temporarily jammed the rusted gear became the most precious strand of their newfound bond.
The path remained treacherous, littered with sharp lava rock and scorching debris. Elara's steps were unsteady, but she pressed on. Liam slowed his pace, considering carrying her, but she refused the unspoken offer. He simply matched her rhythm, the steam joints of his armor humming softly as he moved to shield her from the worst of the heat and falling grit. They walked in silence, yet a deep, unspoken understanding passed between them. The air, thick with sulfur and the heat of the magma, now also carried the weight of silent trust and reliance.
By the time they reached the hidden cavern, a pale dawn light tinged the horizon. The entrance was concealed behind a fissure in the lava rock. Inside, the air was cool and dry. An underground spring bubbled, its water shimmering with a faint silvery light, rich with healing minerals. Liam helped Elara inside, settling her against a rock by the water's edge. He then went back to carefully conceal the entrance, ensuring they wouldn't be easily discovered.
Returning to the cavern, Liam looked at Elara resting by the spring, then down at the rust patterns on his own chest. His gaze hardened with resolve. The rusted gear was stalled, for now. But he knew this was only a temporary measure. To truly escape the curse, to protect those beside him, he had to become stronger. He needed to find materials for more powerful armor, discover a way to confront Elias and break the Rust-Corrosion Curse itself.
The spring water murmured softly in the quiet cavern. But both of them knew that beneath this peace lurked a gathering storm. Imperial hunters, the relentless curse, unknown dangers – they were ensnared in an invisible web. All they could do was struggle, fight, and carve a path toward freedom and a new life, with iron, blood, and the bond they now shared.